Laser Dad Could Stand Trial

Fairfax man accused of shining son’s laser at police helicopter

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It was well before dawn on a foggy February morning. A helicopter kept passing over Blue Jasmine Court in Springfield, Va. Overcome with curiosity, Raymond Jeffrey Poli shined a flashlight at the aircraft, but it was too foggy to make out its markings. So he used his son’s laser, according to his lawyer.

Poli “had no idea why the aircraft was up there at that hour and brought out the light trying to see who it belonged to,” his attorney Rodney Leffler told the Washington Post.

Now Poli could stand trial on felony charges. Fairfax County Police and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office say Poli and his green laser light interfered with the operation of an aircraft and jeopardized the helicopter crew’s safety.